ECC5470 - Competition, regulation and policy - 2019

The unit deals with the Australian and overseas approaches to competition policy. The economic background to the Competition and Consumer Act is considered in conjunction with economic policy debates. Market structures with substantial market power are viewed as a pretext to evaluation and regulation of restrictive trade practices and mergers or alliances. Structural reform of public utility industries, access to essential facilities, and monopoly regulation are discussed from the theoretical and contemporary reform perspectives.

The learning goals associated with this unit are to:

1. be able to understand and analyse critically the economic reasons for government intervention to reduce the adverse effects of restrictive trade practices
2. have an understanding of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (and its predecessor, the Trade Practices Commission)
3. be able to evaluate recent decisions from the perspectives of an economist, lawyer, policy-maker and business manager
4. be able to research in-depth a current problem area relating to competition policy and practices that requires investigation beyond topics covered in lectures.

Within semester assessment: 50% + Examination: 50%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information